The Barbeque
by Momma2Leos
Summary: Sam invites Eric to a barbeque. And then Bill, now hand to the King, shows up to wreck everything.


Faith is taking the first step even when you don't see the whole staircase. –Martin Luther King, Jr.

"Am I not destroying my enemies when I make friends of them?" -Abraham Lincoln

_At Fangtasia, shortly after sundown._

"Sam Merlotte left a note for you today," Pam told me as I walked into the door.

"And? What does the shifter want?" I asked unaffected by whatever he could possibly need this time.

"I only just pulled it from the inbox, I have no idea. Maybe he needs a bartender, maybe he wants you help him install a doggie door on his mobile home."

Ignoring my child, which was difficult as she was literally a foot behind me as I walked into my office, I ran one finger under the closure on the envelope and waited until I had reached my desk chair to pull out the notebook paper within.

I read the words of the shifter a few times seeking reason and finding none. I deliberately did not report to Pamela the contents of the note, while enjoying her pacing back and forth in front of my desk.

"I wonder how it is that of all the beautiful women in England I could have turned, I chose the nosiest one of them all?"I teased her as I held the note up to her and ended her torture.

"I am not nosy. I prefer inquisitive or curious," she called as she read the note voraciously.

"He invited you to a barbeque? He can't be serious."

"No, I believe he is very serious. Although, why he would invite me to a—barbeque is beyond me."

"Eric, a barbeque is a human custom in which meat is grilled over an open fire and eaten with others…"

"I know what a barbeque is Pam! I have the Food Network."

She closed her mouth and cut her eyes at me, but at least she shut her mouth. After a few wonderfully silent moments she spoke again.

"Why do you have Food Network?"she asked.

"Sookie likes to watch it when she stays at my home," I replied without hesitation.

She laughed out loud at me.

"You are so whipped by my little friend," and she threw herself on my couch still cackling at my 'whipped' status.

"You are only jealous that it is not you that is whipped by her," I retorted.

She immediately quit laughing and declared that that was true. To add salt to the wound I altered our night further.

"Well, it would seem that I am going to Bon Temp for a barbeque. You will now have the floor tonight. Make sure you keep an eye on Thalia as it is her night to join you. Do not sit on my throne."

I stood up and walked to the closet in my office to pull out a fresh t-shirt and jeans.

"But Eric, I was not supposed to have to be on the floor tonight. I am not dressed for it," she whined gesturing to her modest attire.

"I know for a fact that you keep a spare dress in your office, you will need to change shortly. I will return _shortly_."

She was sulking. I put my hand under her chin and lifted her face. Her eyes were aimed at the floor.

"Come now, Pam. What if I reward you for excellent service?"

In truth, she knew that excellent service would be all I would accept and that the punishment would be harsh for disobeying me, but I found it hard to deny her much.

"Will this reward have red soles?"

"Perhaps," and with that I left.

It was Sunday evening and the bar was closed. I knew it was a long shot but I had decided to send the note to Eric anyway. The evening was pretty cool but I knew that the temperature wouldn't bother him and it wasn't an issue for me either.

Even though I would be the only one eating, I went ahead and lit the grill and plopped the fat steak I had purchased on to it along with a large, foil wrapped potato. In an effort to be hospitable, I had even bought a few bottles of Royalty Blended for Eric to enjoy.

I had just plated my steak and potato and was sitting it on the picnic table when I heard him approach the back steps. My porch is screened in and so is technically considered inside the house.

"Evening Eric. Surprised you came. Won't you come in?" I asked as I sat down.

"Good evening, shifter. It is I who was surprised to have received an invitation to a barbeque tonight. Let me cover the most likely topics. You still owe me a favor from the last time I provided a bartender and Sookie is still mine."

"First of all, I think we both know that the bartender you sent last time was bad news. He did try to set Sookie's house on fire. And secondly, you sound like Compton with that Sookie is mine bullshit. Do you think I would invite you to my home if I was negotiating for Sookie? Come on, Eric you're smarter than that."

"Well played. The bartender was unfortunate. But don't ever compare me to Bill Compton again or I will have you put to sleep. What did you need then?"

"I don't need anything. I figured I would invite you over and try to bury the hatchet with you. It is a New Year's Resolution. If I had to have a favorite vampire it would be you, so I'm trying to make nice. Have a seat."

Eric, having finally decided that he was not intimidating me, took a seat on the opposite side of the table. I reached into the thermal cooler I had and pulled out a warm Royalty Blended and set it on the table before him.

He raised an eyebrow at me, but nodded his head as he opened the bottle and took a long pull.

"So you wish to bury the hatchet? You want to be friends? What brings this about?"he asked me.

"Well, Eric. I have had to come to a few realizations. Sookie and I just ain't meant to be together. And that's okay, but I need to move on. Once again, if she is going to be with a vampire I would want her with one who I know will protect her and you do that. We both know she has no trouble getting into trouble. I never really had a problem with you other than jealousy. Now, Compton. Can't stand him."

"Most people would agree with you, Shifter," he replied.

"Now Eric, would it kill you to call me Sam?"

"I am already dead," he said with a straight face. You had to admire his unintentional comedy.

"But I suppose I could make the effort to call you by your name as long as we are burying hatchets," he continued.

I rolled my eyes. "Thanks."

"So how are things Eric? How is the bar?"

This was the part of the evening where we made small talk. That is what happened at normal barbeques.

"Revenue is up, although with the current recession prices for supplies seem to be on the rise," he began to give me the most serious business lecture I had ever had.

After listening to him speak for awhile and answering his questions about Merlotte's, I felt the atmosphere change. He was relaxing around me.

I knew the guy had a sense of humor, Sookie talked about it all of the time. But I had never in my few meetings with the vampire ever seen him truly relax.

I felt like I had won a freaking gold medal. We continued to talk and I finished my meal while he drank another RB. The evening was going well until Compton showed up.

"Good evening Sam. I was just passing through and I couldn't help but overhear you and Eric talking. This is strange indeed for two such as yourselves to be spending time together. It is- unnatural. Do you mind if I ask why?" he addressed me and ignored Eric.

I tried to be polite. Even if he was not my friend, I knew he was important to Sookie and that he was a regular at the bar. But this evening his nosiness was simply too much.

"As a matter of fact, I do mind Bill. For a man of your age, you would think that it's rude to eavesdrop on someone else's conversation."

"Well, Sam, I do apologize. But technically as you are sitting in a screened in porch, it was not an act of eavesdropping."

Eric was becoming visibly pissed.

"Whatever, Bill. Just tell me what you want and then get the hell off of my property." So what if I lost one customer—if it was Compton that would be A-Ok with me.

"Manners, Sam. It is fortuitous that I should find you together tonight. I can kill two birds with one stone—you can turn into a bird can't you Merlotte?"

"Enough, Compton!" Eric yelled standing to his full height and charging out the door. Compton dangled from one hand in the air and began to laugh like a mad man.

"Eric Northman, as hand the King of Nevada, Louisiana and Arkansas, I command you to put me down!"

"Very well," Eric replied and he immediately dropped Compton on his ass.

Bill stood up and dusted himself off, and composed himself with a cocky grin on his face.

"As I was saying, the King wants a meeting with both of you. This Friday, at midnight, we will meet at my home."

"Could we not have met somewhere classier, perhaps The Gap?" Eric replied, crossing his arms and staring through Compton.

"What if I say no? I am not a vampire and I don't want to be mixed up in your shit. I ain't going," I told Compton, standing my ground.

"You will attend dog," Compton addressed me, "or I can arrange to have you brought to the house for the meeting. As far as being mixed up in our 'shit' you have been since the day that I came to retrieve Sookie Stackhouse from your bar. Deal!"

With that he turned and sped away in a blur. Eric started after him.

"I will kill him, once and for all."

"No, Eric. Stop, you don't want to be punished man. Not for that piece of shit."

Eric relaxed slightly and turned—I was seriously surprised by his trust towards me. He walked past me back onto the porch and I followed.

"What we need is a plan—he said."

A/N: So yeah, it's been a while since I have been able to write. Been busy working and I had a baby girl in December but I really have missed writing. I have even been working on some original stuff that I hope to get out in the world by Christmas at the latest. Tell me if you want me to continue. Thanks!


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